The Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival’s annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition and Award is a rare chance to see the works of talented, emerging filmmakers, who are exploring themes of South Asian Experience. The competition’s final shortlist of films will be screened at the festival and the winner of the 2019 award is announced on the festival’s Closing Night. In association with the Bagri Foundation.
We believe this year is one of the strongest competitions we’ve seen – with a range of films that explore personal experiences of war, love, politics, friendship and changing cultural landscapes. The programme explores stories from a multitude of corners of South Asia from Kashmir to Gujarat to Karachi – as well as a British-Asian experience in 1970s Southall!
Each film is memorable in their own way with stand-out performances by young actors and unexpected endings. The short film programme this year exhibits the breadth, diversity and quality of filmmaking in a South Asian context, presenting films in languages such as Marathi, Urdu, Hindi, Gujarati and English. The landscape and cinematography are also stunning, depicting rural and urban fictional tales, and this year sees a superb experimental documentary that looks at the evolving use of libraries in Pakistan.
Screened three times throughout the festival, do not miss the chance to see such a great range of storytelling by emerging filmmakers. See details about the films below.
The Bagri Foundation consistently supports talented filmmakers as part of our Springboard programme, through cinematic showcases including our recent Poetry In Motion: Contemporary Iranian Cinema series at the Barbican and our short film project Tales of the Silk Road presented with Shorts On Tap.
Programme
21 June, 2019 8:30 pm | Genesis Cinema
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23 June, 2019 4:00 pm | Phoenix East Finchley
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26 June, 2019 6:45 pm, London | SOAS, Khalili Lecture Theatre
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‘Nooreh’ film still. 2018. Dir Ashsih Pandey.
An eight year old Kashmiri girl ‘Nooreh’ residing in a small village on the India-Pakistan border believes that she has discovered a solution to end the relentless cross firing.
‘Rammat Gammat’ film still. 2018, Dir Ajitpal Singh.
One is a better footballer, other is richer, their friendship hits the crisis when money decides the merit.
‘Kark’ film still. 2019. Dir Pawan K. Nayak.
A young woman hopes her monotonous life takes a turn after meeting a stranger and falling in love.
‘U Ushacha’ film still. 2019. Dir Rohan Kanwade. [Winner of the Satyajit Ray Award]
Usha, a single mother who works as a farm labourer in rural India, finds herself drawn to a female teacher of local primary school, in ways she never knew possible.
Trailer
‘Alien Culture’ film still. 2018. Dir Iesh Thapar.
Southall, 1979. Racial tensions are running high. Lucky thinks his brother is in trouble, but the truth is far from what he expected.
‘These Silences are All the Words’ film still. 2018. Dir Madhia Aijaz [Special Mention]
Madiha Aijaz’s observational documentary on public libraries in Karachi, Pakistan, contemplates the slow disappearance of the Urdu literary tradition.
